Here's why scientists are concerned about a so-called 'doomsday glacier' as big as Florida

ANTARCTICA (WLS) -- Scientists have been warning the public of a so-called "doomsday glacier" that could break within a few years.

The Thwaites glacier in Antarctica is about the size of Florida and is the widest glacier in the world.

Researchers have said that the ice sheets around the glacier are fracturing. Experts said they fear that the fractured sheets around the glacier could shatter within the next three to five years. A breakage of that magnitude would pose the biggest threat for sea-level rise in the 21st century and would put coastal communities and low-lying nations at risk, researchers said.